Are the scores between your two interviewers averaged?

[Overachiever12]

I had an interview a couple of weeks ago. The first one went horribly, in my opinion, due to nervousness (the interviewer was the dean of admissions). I felt as if I didn't sell myself nearly as well as I should have. None of the questions were terribly challenging, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was the only "randomly" selected applicant to have the pleasure of interviewing with the person who will ultimately have the final say on my application. I didn't say anything damning, but there were a few pauses that made me rather uncomfortable. Even though I fully answered the question, I would just ramble (and at times, make no sense), just to fill the silence.

The second interview, however, was wonderful. It was the direct opposite. I think I sold myself the best that I could, and I believe the interviewer was thoroughly impressed.

In a situation like this, how will ADCOMS view the interviews? Of course, there's no way to know what my interviewers truly thought of me, but in theory, what would happen if one interviewer rated a student very highly while the other rated a student low? I'm assuming there's a reason behind having two interviewers.

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[M12B]

I think it depends entirely on the school. All schools do this differently.
I'm sure their reasoning for having 2 interviews is because they want input from more than one individual. Regarding how they'll look at the interviews: who knows? They could average a score, they could talk it over. They may require both interviewers to give a thumbs up in order to accept a student. No one can say except the adcoms and they'll never tell...

I'm sure it went better than you think as we tend to be our own worst critics. Keep your chin up and best of luck to you!

 

[LizzyM]

A very negative report can cancel out a good one but in some cases a negative report from someone who tends to be very hard on candidates will be disregarded. Likewise, the committee that makes the decisions will take with a grain of salt the reports of interviewers who think that every applicant walks on water.

There is no telling what can happen once the committee gets behind closed doors and begins to sort things out.

 

[gyngyn]

The weight of a particular interview will depend on the insightfulness of the interviewer as well as their historical pattern of endorsement.
It is also true that the perceived depth and breadth of experience of the interviewer will color a committee's evaluation of the report.
Student interviews can still be powerful however, because they are much closer to a shared experience and can evaluate them for a different kind of fit.

The resolution of discordant interviews is a central reason that a committee exists!

 

[Goro]

This is very much the case at our school!

A very negative report can cancel out a good one but in some cases a negative report from someone who tends to be very hard on candidates will be disregarded. Likewise, the committee that makes the decisions will take with a grain of salt the reports of interviewers who think that every applicant walks on water.

There is no telling what can happen once the committee gets behind closed doors and begins to sort things out.